LHC halts expulsion of 22 Afghan medical students

The development came after Minute Mirror first highlighted the issue on September 8, 2026, reporting that King Edward Medical University (KEMU) had

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has suspended a Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) notification seeking action against Afghan medical students and restrained medical colleges from expelling them, providing immediate relief to students facing the loss of their medical education in Pakistan.

The development came after Minute Mirror first highlighted the issue on September 8, 2026, reporting that King Edward Medical University (KEMU) had given 22 Afghan MBBS students a 24-hour deadline to complete what the university described as “codal formalities.”

Justice Khalid Ishaq of the LHC passed the interim order while hearing petitions filed by 13 Afghan medical students, including seven females and six males, through Advocate Asad Jamal. The petitioners challenged their expulsion from medical institutions, arguing that the action was taken solely on the basis of PMDC directions and violated their fundamental rights.

The court suspended the disputed PMDC notification and restrained the concerned medical colleges from expelling the petitioners. PMDC, the University of Health Sciences (UHS) and the administrations of the relevant medical colleges have been directed to submit their responses.

The controversy surfaced after KEMU issued Notification No. 1272/REG/KEMU/2026 dated September 7, 2026. According to the notification, the university was acting on a PMDC communication dated September 1 and directed 22 Afghan nationals to complete the required “codal formalities” within 24 hours.

Among the affected students were eight MBBS students in their final year and two recent graduates. Other students were enrolled at institutions including KEMU, Services Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS) and Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Medical and Dental College.

The abrupt action raised concerns over the academic futures of students who had already spent several years pursuing medical education in Pakistan and, in some cases, were close to completing their degrees.

The petitioners maintained that they had not been provided with a show-cause notice or an opportunity to explain their position before the proposed expulsion. They also questioned the legal basis for applying the regulatory decision to admissions granted years earlier.

The case has also drawn attention to the status of Afghan female medical students, who face severely restricted access to medical education in Afghanistan. The petitioners have argued that the decision could have particularly serious consequences for those nearing completion of their MBBS degrees.

When contacted earlier, the KEMU Registrar’s office confirmed the issuance of the notification but did not provide a detailed explanation of the “codal formalities” mentioned in it. PMDC had not publicly explained the September 1 communication at the time of the report.

The LHC’s intervention has temporarily halted the threatened expulsions and kept the students’ academic futures intact pending further proceedings.

The case is scheduled for further hearing before Justice Khalid Ishaq at 9am tomorrow, when the respondents are expected to submit their replies.